The children's entertainment channel is known to have laid the bedrock for serial animated content as we know it today. Offering as it did an entire half day and later day’s worth of content as opposed to the half hourly or hourly slots on other channels, Cartoon Network had a great run through the early 90s and 2000s, until it hit a roadblock named Disney and then Nickelodeon.

Today, while Cartoon Network may give off an air of dormancy to the casual bystander, there is, in fact, a lot simmering under the surface at the CN headquarters. But before we get into that, Brand Equity asked Siddharth Jain, managing director, South Asia Turner International (India) to answer a whole bunch of 'Questions Millennials Have Always Wanted to ask Cartoon Network':

How do you feel about the conspiracy theories/alternative endings touted by viewers these days, for example: Dexter having Asperger syndrome? Do you dismiss these as baseless or take interest in them?

We like it when our viewers use their imagination to find hidden Easter eggs in the episodes and come up with their own conspiracy theories/alternative endings. There is so much being discussed on various online platforms & forums and it’s interesting to know how deeply involved our fans are with the shows.

Why doesn't CN make cartoons or bring back cartoons like Swat Kats, Centurions, Jetsons, Flintstones and more? Also, is there an archive of DVD collection of CN for adults to relive their childhood cartoon memories?

It’s amazing the appeal of some of our older library from Hanna-Barbera, Turner and Warner Bros. studios. These cartoons were truly made to last. And their unique characters are the reason that we still create new series of Scooby-Doo, Tom and Jerry, Looney Tunes and Wacky Races – all available on Cartoon Network and POGO.

Johnny Bravo, Ah, but that’s the key…. he only thinks he is god’s gift to women, where in actual fact – he’s far from it!

The Powerpuff Girls belonged to an imaginary place, Townsville. If this was a real place in today's world where exactly would they be? Do you think the creators made an imaginary place for them because the real world was not receptive to women being so empowered back then?

Why Townsville? Can you imagine if it was set in Bombay? The city would be destroyed! At least the girls could fly over all the traffic on the way to save the day!

Why do you think Tom could never catch Jerry in spite of playing so many pranks on the little rat?

Yes, it’s amazing that after 77 years of chasing and pranks, Jerry still always outsmarts Tom. We know how Tom cannot do without Jerry. While they might try to outsmart each other, Jerry keeps Tom on-the-go, because, without Jerry, there would be no Tom. Maybe the fun is in the chase, and Tom actually never wants to catch Jerry?

Dexter has a secret laboratory in his room. The power bill must be off the charts. How did his parents never find out?

Dexter, a child prodigy, a scientist of sorts was the creator of so many technologically advanced masterpieces; he had mastered the art of creating the best out of what he had at home. For a genius like Dexter, alternative sources of energy would be a piece of cake. Well, I guess we'll never know how he really managed!

Why were Mammy Two Shoes from Tom and Jerry and Miss Bellum from power puff girls only shown waist-down?

Our distinctive brand of cartoons mean that sometimes we don’t play by the rules, we like quirky, surprising characters – and sometimes that means that not even showing their faces! Cartoons are 50% visual and the other percentage is audio – kids love to use their imagination and this technique encourages that.

So, what is Cartoon Network up to today?

Despite the common belief that Cartoon Network (CN) is a mere shadow of its former self, the channel is in fact in the midst of a dynamic flux: delicately balancing the gnawing digital demand while keeping alive traditional on-ground promotional activities. With the channel trying to keep both the virtual and real world happy, it certainly isn’t giving its current viewers with much to complain about.

"We call our consumers our fans. We have great interactions with them not only via linear television but also through other offerings like mobile apps where kids can come and interact with our characters. We've also been doing a lot of fan interactions on the ground; for instance taking our characters to malls. It is not just an experience of emotion that is happening on your TV screen you can actually go and take photographs with your favourite character. It is a very immersive exercise."

The channel is at a unique position with long-term fans who are well in their early 30s to toddlers who've just begun watching TV.

"At Cartoon Network, we transcend age barriers not just age groups. BARC reports 2-14 (age group viewership) but we don't fully rely on that reading. We believe that everybody has a childlike quality in them regardless of their age."

CN is part of the Turner family that also houses heavyweight brands like CNN, HBO, Warner Bros. and POGO- the network's only 'made in India' brand.

"We are also quite proud to be working for brands that are global and iconic in nature" asserts Jain.

Decoding CN's offbeat app strategy:

There is an app for everything today. Well, everything except a consolidated Turner offering. While CN has a multitude of character-specific apps online, it is yet to come up with a single platform that aggregates all its content. Siddharth Jain breaks down why it seems as though the network is slow on the uptake:

"With regards to OTT/VOD platforms, the competition doesn't just lie in the kids’ space since most broadcast networks have got their own offerings. We as Turner do not have an offering as yet- but we are working on it.

What we've done in the meantime is that we have made sure wherever possible our content is available on any OTT application out there. So be it Ditto, VOOT or Amazon you will find our presence there."

The reason behind this move is that Jain believes competition can also be complementary.

"When we approached each other on the subject we were clear that we wanted to make the digital space a destination for kids."

However, with a twinkle in his eye, he adds, "Of course, we haven't given away all of our content; we've held some back".

The idea is that until we have our own OTT or VOD offering for our fans, if someone comes to VOOT to sample kids content, they should come back to get the full taste on our portal."

Cartoon Network has launched six new apps since January. The channel aims to provide a holistic experience to the young viewers, an effective way to connect with today’s screen-agers who are extremely tech savvy. Interestingly, their CN Watch & Play in its soft launch phase, has already hit 2,45,000 installations, 5,64,000 downloads and 2,45,000 unique visitors with no PR or advertising support.

On changing viewership trends:

Jain takes a brave stand in a world obsessed with viewership and ratings: "BARC is important for advertising but it is not a true yardstick of what fans think of you" he believes.

"The system is cyclic in nature. We have undergone a transformation from TAM to BARC and we are still grappling from fluctuations in ratings especially from smaller genres which had a viewership of almost 40% week to week. Nobody has answers for the situation. We too, are struggling. So, if you take that as a true benchmark of your actual fan engagement I think it is misleading. That is why we make sure that we are available on all digital apps sites that one can possibly be."

Digital first:

"Numbers suggest that India is going the wireless way. The country is consuming video on demand more than ever before. The average viewership of VOD on a handheld device is around 186 minutes while linear television is still struggling at about 120 minutes. If I look at the total television homes in the country the latest report stands at 173 million. On the other hand we have 186 million smartphones consuming VOD in India for 186 minutes in a day!" highlights Jain.

"The numbers are clearly demonstrating that there has been a digital revolution in India where people have the capability and affordability to use smartphones, access VOD and in that space we are very much part of it: The minute you start looking at 'Digital' many legacy concepts go out of the window."

"With linear television, our typical format length stands at about 14 minutes to 20 while on digital nobody has got time beyond 4 to 5 minutes. To shorten a story from 14 to 6 is sometimes not possible; you lose the essence of the story. So we have already begun work on 'digital first'- creating content which is made for digital. An example of that is on CN you will see a lot of 'shorts'. Those are primarily created for digital but are shown on linear TV."

CN's digital short:

"So we are not just saying that we are going to do it- we have already done it. Turner has always been at the forefront of change with regards to evolving markets and environment. To give you an example, when POGO launched in 2002, we were the first 'for India' channel, to start Hindi content with live action animated content like M.A.D and Chhota Bheem. We recognize the space that we've been the leaders of in this industry and every time there is a change that happens, we call it an evolution- a new, natural cycle considering that every 10 years, audiences change."

Is merchandising the best marketing?

"We've had great success with licensing and merchandising. Up until a year and a half ago, we only used to have something known as the Cartoon Network Originals where we leveraged original characters such as Ben 10, Johnny Bravo etc. We subsequently took over our sister company, Warner Brother's consumer production unit in India, as a result of which we now have a much bigger basket to offer to our licensors. We are not just dealing with back-to-school products but also apparel for kids and young adults. We have tie-ups with retailers like Myntra, and Pratyush Kumar Maurya, and the first Indian designer to partner with Cartoon Network, will be putting together an exclusive range of clothing and accessories for Powerpuff Girls.

For Turner, however, licensing and merchandising is happening in many different ways and is not restricted to the typical.

"In Pattaya, about a year and a half ago, we opened a theme park named Amazon which is a branded Cartoon Network waterpark. We are trying to replicate that model in many different countries and India is definitely on the map. As you can see, we've gone beyond" says, Jain proudly.

The only real deterrent with a flourishing merchandising biz is the inevitable presence of counterfeits, which Turner is compelled to take in its stride. "It is definitely something we struggle with, and if push comes to shove we do take matters up legally. Unfortunately, India is a huge country and it is virtually impossible to contain such a menace," laments Jain signing off.